Of exhaustion, cuisine and balls of steel January 19, 2006

OK. So I’ve been under the weather these past few days. My doc says its all the exertion. Seems I’ve been living it a little too large these past few days. Do you blame me? There’s just so much to do in Bombay. Apart from the not-so-regular trips to the gym there’s movies, theatre, shopping and cooking. No, I’m not gay. Not even (ugh) metrosexual. I just happen to love coming up with new (and old) stuff in the kitchen. Last week, for example, I borrowed a recipe from Kylie Kwong, Discovery Travel and Living’s very own Cordon Bleu. I threw in some elements from Jamie Oliver’s sea-food recipes and came up with prawns in chilli-flour batter and cooked in honey and lemon and some basic tomato-based vegetable pasta. Add to that a bottle of decent white wine and good fun was had by all. Currently I’m being introduced as the “dude that kicks ass in the kitchen”. I love it.

We had a little soiree where I did this cooking. By little I mean, of course, an hour and a half of looking for all ingredients in the supermarket and another hour toiling over the stove trying to make do with all the equipment you’d normally find in a bachelor pad and making do without all the stuff (and there’s a lot of that) that you wouldn’t expect to find. Anyway, it was all worth it in the end, if the testimonials of the gang are anything to go by. Speaking of the gang, I must share a story of great grit and of balls of steel in these times of corporate whoring. I have tremendous respect for those who choose to do their own thing. For those who choose not to be chained to a desk or a title or, most importantly, the safety of a regular income. And above all, I respect those who have tasted success in the corporate sphere and choose to give it up anyway only because it wasn’t their calling.

Such a person is Sidin Sunny Vadukut. I have had the privilege of being his friend. The world has had the privilege of reading his blogs here and here. And now, Sidin has decided, we shall have the pleasure of curling up by the fire with yet another Sidin masterpiece. For Sidin has decided to write. Not scribble random thoughts and short pieces as he has been doing thus far. That shall continue, no doubt. What Mr. Vadukut has decided is to quit a well-paying, fab-sounding job as a consultant and dedicate himself to writing a book. What makes this most interesting is the fact that, as far as I know, he doesn’t know what the book is going to be about. Nevertheless he has taken the plunge and I wish him all the best. You can show your support by logging on to his blog and posting an encouraging comment. I’m sure he’d appreciate it. Hats off to you, Mr Fat Cat.